Pneumatic-despatch-tube apparatus.



v a. F. STODDARD. PNEUMATIC DBSPATGH TUBE APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED l'U LY 25, 1908.

Patented May 23, 1911;

8 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

w/r/gissfs THE NORRIS PETERSC'L, WASHINGTON, n4 1:.

0. I. STODDARD. PNEUMATIC DESPATOH TUBE APPARATUS};

APPLIGATION FILED JULY 25, 1998.

Patented May 23,-.1911.

8 SHEBTS SHEBT 2.

ATTOEWE) THE NORRIS PETERS c0., WASHINGTON, n. c.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 25, 1908.

Patented May 23, 1911.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE. A

CHARLES F. STODDARD, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS. ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN PNEU- MATIC SERVICE COMPANY, OF DOVER, DELAWARE, A-GORPORATION OF DELAWARE.

FNEUMATIG-DESPATCH-TUDE APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 23, 1911 Applicationfiled July 25, 1908. Serial No. 445,406.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES F. STODDARD, of Dorchester, Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have in- I vented certain new and useful Improvepatching of carriers at too short intervals,

and commonly called a time lock. I'have shown the time lock connected to a pneumatic tube sending terminal such as is described in my Patent No. 742513 dated Oct. 27, 1903. a a

' In the accompanying drawings which illustrate a construction embodying my invention, Figure 1 is a longitudinal cross section showing the parts'in their normal positions. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the parts in the positions they would assume just as a carrier is being inserted in the sending terminal. Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the position of the parts after the carrier has left the sending terminal and before the time lock has unlocked the tripping mechanism to permitanother carrier to be despatched. Fig. 4. is an enlarged detail sectional View of the needle-valve mechanism. 7

Like letters of reference refer to like parts throughout the several views. a

The transmission tube A is in communica tion with the supply pipe A through the casing A provided with slots A Secured to this slotted casing A is a sender B composed of three chambers B, B B Secured to the upper chamber is a chute C; swinging on the shaftsD D in the chambers B, B are the counterweighted valve arms D D to which are fastened the gates D D by the pins D. D Just below the outer or upper gate D is the port E which is normally closed by the valve E held in closed position by the spring E The opening of the valve E is controlled by the finger E placed just above the gate D in thechamber B and pivoted to the chamber B by the pin E The rod E pivoted to the finger E by the pin E connects the finger E with the valve E. The by-pass port F connects the inside of thechamber B below the gate D with the chamber B above 3 as do all the other parts.

the gate D and is of an area much smaller than the area of the port E so that when the port E is open to the atmosphere, the port F cannot supply pressure fast enough to overcome the leakage through the port E and the pressure in the chamber B remains at about atmospheric.

The trip finger H ispivoted to the chute C by the pin H and normally held in the 190- sition shown in Fig. 1 by the spring H The swinging arm J is pivoted to the chute G by the pin J moved to the position shown in Fig. 3 by the spring J 2 which engages the swinging arm J at the point J and the chute G at the point J*. Thecylinder K is secured to the chute C by the side plate K and is provided with a piston K to which is upper end ofthe time lock cylinder is the port L connected to the lower end of the time lock cylinder by the pipeLi- The operation is as follows; In Fig. 1 all the parts are shown in their normal positions and the transmitter is ready to despatch a carrier. 'A carrier is placed upon the chute C. and by the force of gravity slides down against thetrip finger H throwing it into the position shown in Fig. 2 and then down against the finger Er: throwing it into the position shown in Fig. 2 and thereby opening the valve E and reducing the pressure. in the chamber B between the gates D and D to substantially atmospheric.

gate D opening same and'entering the chamber B and dropping against the lower gate D which is now being held closed by the pressure on the under side ofit; After the carrier passes from under the gate D said valve assumes theposition shown in Fig.

The valve E, now being closed, the pressure in the chamber B is raised through the port F to the same as that on the under side of thegate D and the carrier Xbyits weight opens the gate D and passes through the slotted casing A into the transmission tube A. When the carrier X presses the finger E into the position shown in Fig. 2, thereby opening the port E to the atmosphere and reducing the pressure in the chamber B to substantially atmospheric, the pressure in the lower end of the time lock cylinder L was also reduced to substantially atmospheric and the piston L by its own weight quickly descends to the position shown in Fig. 2 and connects the lower end of the trip cylinder K with the atmosphere through the pipe L and the port L and allows the spring K to press the piston K into the position shown in Fig. 2, and the plunger piston rod K in turn allows the spring J to throw the swinging arm J against the trip finger H as shown in Fig. 2. When the carrier has passed over the trip finger H, the spring H throws the trip finger H into the position shown in Fig. 3 and the spring J 2 presses the swinging arm up behind the shoulder H of the trip finger H thereby locking the trip finger H so that another carrier placed on the chute 0 could only slide down against the trip finger H. When the carrier passes down into the chamber B and thereby allows the gate D and the valve E to assume the positions shown in Fig. 3, the pressure in the chamber B under the gate D passes through the port F into the chamber B above the gate D and equalizes the pressure on each side of the gate D and the carrier by its own weight opens the gate D and passes through the slotted casing A into tube A. When the pressure passes into the chamber B through the port F and makes the pressure in the chamber B equal to that in the transmission tube A, said pressure is communicated through the pipe L to the lower end of the time lock cylinder L but is restricted by the check valve L and governed by the by pass needle valve L so that by the regulation of the needle valve L the time it takes the pressure to raise the piston L to the position shown in Fig. 1 is predetermined. Until the piston L reaches the top of the time lock cylinder L, the pipe L is connected to the atmosphere through the port L but when the piston L passes the port L as it reaches the upper end of the time lock cylinder L it throws the lower end of the trip cylinder K into communication with the pressure of the transmission tube A through the pipe L"=, the by-pass needle valve L, the port L and the pipe L and this pressure forces the piston K into the position shown in Fig. 1 thereby throwing the swinging arm J into the position shown in Fig. 1 and unlocking the trip finger H and completing the cycle of operation. The machine is now ready to receive another carrier.

Having thus described the nature of my invention and set forth a construction embodying the same, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is 1. In a pneumatic despatch apparatus, a transmission tube, asender connected to said transmission tube, inner and outer gates normally closing said sender, means for normally producing equalization of pressure in the transmission tube and the sender, an exhaustport from said sender to the atmosphere normally closed, an exhaust valve controlling said port to allow the pressure to exhaust from the sender for releasing the transmission tube pressure on the outer gate to permit the entrance of a carrier into the sender, means operated by the carrier for opening said'exhaust valve, means for closing said exhaust valve after the entrance of the carrier to permit the pressure in the sender and the transmission tube to substantially equalize on the inner gate whereby the weight of the carrier will open said inner gate and enter the transmission tube, a trip-finger to control the entrance of a carrier into said sender, pressure-actuated mechanism communicating with said sender between said gates operating said trip-finger to release the carrier when the pressure in the sender equalizes the pressure in the transmission tube, and means interposed in the communication between said sender and said pressure-actuated mechanism to regulate the flow of pressure from the sender to the pressureactuated mechanism to time the operation of said pressure actuated mechanism in moving the trip-finger to release the carrier.

2. In a pneumatic despatch apparatus, a transmission tube, a sender connected to said transmission tube, inner and outer gates normally closing said sender, means for normally producing e ialization of pressure in the transmission tube and the sender, an exhaust port from said sender to the atmosphere normally closed, an exhaust valve controlling said port to allow the pressure to exhaust from the sender for releasing the transmission tube pressure on the outer gate to permit the entrance'of a carrier into the sender, means operated by the carrier for opening said exhaust valve, means for closing said exhaust valve after the entrance of the carrier to permit the pressure in the sender and the transmission tube to substantially equalize on the inner gate whereby the weight of the carrier will open said inner gate and enter the transmission tube, a trip finger to control the entrance of a carrier into said sender, pressure-actuated mechanism communicating with said sender between said gates operating said trip-finger to release the carrier when the pressure in the sender equalizes the, pressure in the transmission tube, and means interposed in the communication between the sender and transmission tube, a sender connected to said transmission tube, inner and outer gates normally closing said sender, means for normally producing equalization of pressure in the transmission tube and the sender, an exhaust port from said sender to the atmosphere normally closed, an exhaust valve controlling said port to allow the pressure to exhaust from the sender for releasing the transmission tube pressure on the outer gate to permit the entrance of a carrier into the sender, means operated by the carrier for opening said exhaust valve, means for closing said exhaust valve after the entrance of the carrier to permit the pressure in the sender and the transmission tube to substantially equalize on the inner gate whereby the weight of the carrier will open said inner gate and enter the transmission tube, a timelock cylinder communicating at one end with said sender between said gates and having at the other end an external opening to the atmosphere, a floating piston in said time-lock cylinder, pressure-actuated mechanism communicating with said time-lock cylinder near the end of the cylinder open to the atmosphere, and a trip-finger to control the entrance of a carrier into the sender operated by said pressure-actuated mechanism to release the carrier when the pressure in the time-lock cylinder raises the floating piston to close the external opening of the cylinder and to open communication through said cylinder between the pressure-actuated mechanism and the sender.

4:. In a pneumatic despatch apparatus, a

' transmission tube, a sender connected to said transmission tube, inner and outer gates normally closing said sender, means for normally producing equalization of pressure in the transmission tube and the sender, an exhaust port from said sender to the atmosphere normally closed, an exhaust valve con trolling said port to allow the pressure to exhaust from the sender for releasing the transmission tube pressure on the outer gate to permit the entrance of a carrier into the sender, means operated by the carrier for opening said exhaust valve, means for closing said exhaust valve after the entrance of the carrier to permit the pressure in the sender and the transmission tube to substantially equalize on the inner gate whereby the weight of the carrier will open said inner gate and enter the transmission tube and to hold said outer gate closed so that the pressure in the transmission tube will not escape into the atmosphere, a time-lock cylinder communicating at one end with said sender between said gates and having at the other end an external opening to the atmosphere, means for retarding the flow of pressure from the sender to the time-lock cylinder, a floating piston in saidtime-lock cylinder, pressure-actuated mechanism communicating with'said time-lock cylinder near the end of the cylinder open to the atmosphere, andva trip-finger to control the entrance of a carrier into the sender operated by said pressure-actuated mechanism to release the carrier when the pressure in the time-lock cylinder raises the floating piston to close the external opening of the time-lock cylinder and to open communication through said cylinder between the pressure-actuated mechanism and the sender.

5. In a pneumatic despatch apparatus, a transmission tube, a sender communicating with said tube, a time-lock cylinder communicating at one end with said sender and having at the other end an external opening to the atmosphere, pressure-actuated mechanism communicating with said cylinder near the end of the cylinder having the external opening to the atmosphere, a floating piston in said cylinder to control the communication of the pressure-actuated mechanism with the sender and with the ex-' ternal air, and a trip-finger to control the entrance of a carrier into the sender operated by said pressure-actuated mechanism.

6. In a pneumatic despatch apparatus, a transmission tube, a sender communicating with'said tube, a time-lock cylinder communicating at one end with said sender and at the other end an external opening to the atmosphere, means for regulating the flow of pressure from the sender to the time-lock cylinder, pressure-actuated mechanism communicating with said cylinder near the end of the cylinder having the external opening a Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

